About Us
The vision
Matahiwi Estate in the northern Wairarapa, was established by Alastair Scott & his family in 1998 - 80 hectares of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. Four years later, winemaker Jane Cooper, spontaneously knocked on his door to ask when he planned to build his winery. At that time he had not yet picked any fruit, but she had done her homework on local viticultural conditions and the partnership was sealed.
Alastair built the winery over 2003 for the 2004 vintage and the first bottle of Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir 2004 was sold in London to wine retailer Oddbins at a New Zealand Winegrowers trade show in 2005. He had always planned to focus on the export market and today Matahiwi Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc sit proudly on shelves and wine lists in the UK, Japan, Australia, Holland, China and Hong Kong.
The Matahiwi Estate portfolio is two-fold: the Holly wines & the Estate wines.
The Holly wines are special. They are different and have strong character and personality, just like Holly, the daughter of Alastair Scott. These wines are synonymous with the very best that our winemaker, Jane Cooper, can create from single vineyard selections from Matahiwi Estate. They are produced in limited quantities, are individual in style and a true reflection of the local terroir.
Matahiwi is a place recognised by Maori as a windy and exposed area sheltered by the high mountainous Tararua ranges to the west. These Estate wines, produced by winemaker Jane Cooper, show just how the Wairarapa has earned a reputation for producing some of the best wines in the world. Fruit for these wines is sourced from both the Wairarapa & Hawkes Bay regions.
The phoenix
The Phoenix has long been seen as a symbol of renewal. For us, the Matahiwi Phoenix symbolises the rebirth of winemaking in the northern Wairarapa after the period of prohibition in the early 1900's. New Zealand wine pioneers recognised the region as an ideal environment for grape growing, as did Alastair Scott when he returned from London to his homeland in 1998 to establish Matahiwi Estate.
